SubscribeWhen you wake up and it’s -5C there are things you expect to see outside and ice on the edges of the lake is one of them. There are also things that you don’t expect to see so when I drove south from Laguna Colorado to Laguna Verde my expectation was snow geese or penguins. So the pink flamingos from the Miami Vice intro were a total surprise.
Archive for the ‘Chile’ Category
Dec
4
Cifuncho, CL (482 kms)
It had been sometime since I had ridden near the coast. Peru offered two short highway rides near the ocean but most of the last month had been inland. Now I could smell the sea and feel the moisture in the air as the highway SSW of Antofagasta plummeted to the Pacific ocean on Chile’s rugged coast.
Dec
6
La Serena, CL (610 kms)
The cool ocean breeze had pushed me into a deep sleep and when I woke I noticed something odd. I hadn’t heard a thing all night but there were dog tracks all around me and the garbage was down the beach 50 metres. I laughed and thought it’s a good thing dogs don’t have opposable thumbs or my GPS and wallet would be at some canine pawn shop back in Taltal. Continue Reading…
Dec
2
Las Condes, CL (573 kms)
Waiting at the stop light behind silver Mercedes I looked at Carl and yelled, “this could go really well or really bad.” Night was on us and we were struggling to find a place under $300 a night. ”Cobra” and his wife Lorena asked us if we need help at the stop light. We accepted and were following them blindly down the streets of Las Condes. A roll of the dice for sure but things went better then expected. Continue Reading…
Dec
3
Las Condes, CL (- kms)
Choices are good. It means I have options but sometimes I don’t think with the clarity I need to make the proper decision. The budget only allowed me to make one repair (grip warmer or turn signal) and the service manager looked at me in awe as I thought it over. Fortunately he spoke up with some rationale thought and convinced me safety was more important then comfort.
Dec
16
Pichilemu, CL (247 kms)
I was looking for a place to settle in and relax for the holidays. I had put all my stock in a little town two hours SSW of Santiago called Pichilemu and as I rode through the wine valleys of central Chile I was apprehensive. I hoped for a quiet, low key town and a place to take off my boots for a few days.
Dec
15
Pichilemu, CL (- kms)
Cranberry Sauce is a must for me at Christmas. Turkey is a given, a bit of stuffing and mashed potatoes are always nice but this wasn’t Christmas in Canada and I was celebrating with an American and Mexicano. Dubbed the NAFTA Christmas is was grilled Reineta, steaks and vegetables… and no gravy!
Dec
16
Pichilemu, Chile (- kms)
Over the past five months I have done a few things I am not proud of and in an effort to unload the guilt I want to share them. #1- I have gone three days wearing the same pair of underwear. #2 – I now put mayonnaise on my french fries. #3 – This photo is of my air filter that I rode with for four days after the Atacama.
Dec
8
Pitrufquen, CL (699 kms)
It was an early start, long four lane highways and 700 kms on the bike. I was beat but glad to be in camp cooking a meal and enjoying a plastic cup of Chilean wine with Roberto and Carl. I asked Roberto for some words of wisdom and he spouted off a rant in Spanish. I was oblivious but in his typical way he lightened the mood with a light hearted joke.
Dec
7
Castro, CL (524 kms)
It was a cool morning beside the river in Pitrufquen. Carl got up around 3AM to put on a coat and Roberto complained that he was cold all night. The damp chill seemed a little familiar and I thought to myself… didn’t you learn not to set up camp next to the river? Where was that? Stoner, British Columbia came racing back to my mind.